• Closed Source- some examples are: Internet explorer, Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Acrobat, All Microsoft and Macintosh Operating Systems.

Vs.

• Open Source- some examples are: Mozilla FireFox, Open Office suite, All Unix and Linux Operating Systems.

*Note* Source Basically refers to the code running in behind the scenes. These Files can be hard to read and understand.

Closed Source means you can’t make changes to the code to give it the features you want and you usually have to pay for this kind software.  Having trouble understanding? Picture it like this; Closed Source is like a company recipe for Italian Bread sticks. They would never give you their recipe to be able to make your own Bread sticks, let alone your own style of Bread sticks, or make some kind of profit off of their bread sticks. Though their bread sticks are really good and filling, is there more you can do with this recipe?

This brings us to Open Source.  It is code that is ’open’ for editing the code (though many don’t have the ability to edit the code).  Open Source is also free for all to obtain.  Mainly communities and small groups of people Collaborate to meet an end goal (Like Ubuntu Linux).  Where is the money in this you might ask? There isn’t a whole lot. The majority of Open Source programmers either ask for donations or write programs for the ‘bragging right’ one might say (I would be pretty proud of myself if I could write make a Program that thousands of people use every day).

Some Positives and Negatives on both

• Closed Source
  • +Geared for most people
  • + or – Quality can Vary (i.e. Vista, Windows ME)***
  • +Technical Support by companies who usually care about the customers experience and help users work through their problem.
  • -Can Cost a lot of money depending on the software. Especially when getting new versions as technology expands
  • +Can have some pretty advanced features
• Open Source
  • -Not really geared for everybody**
  • + or – Quality can vary****
  • -Technical support isn’t available***
  • +Free to download and use
  • +Can have some pretty advanced features

Resources for Open Source Software

The most legitimate gateway site for Open Source Software is Sourceforge.net

Some Great Open Source Software is:

• Mozilla Firefox -Internet Browser (like Internet Explorer)
• Open Office- Office Software(like Microsoft Office)
• XMind- Brain-Storming Software/Mind-Mapping Software
• Ubuntu- Operating System(such as Microsoft XP, Mac OSX)

**Some programs use technical wording, and confusing menus, thus worsens the user experience

***Google and Forums is your best friend

****Quality usually is in relation to how popular it is

Our version, called “Elluminate Live” and provided free through the State of Washington, includes an audio component, a typed chat area, and an interactive whiteboard for drawing, showing images or displaying PowerPoint presentations.  You can share your desktop or demonstrate something in a software application, use breakout rooms for collaborative learning, or take advantage of the quiz manager or polling feature.  You can also do synchronized web browsing, transfer files, and (for math and science) there’s a graphing calculator and a math symbol library.

Although Elluminate has been well established as a virtual meeting and collaboration tool, some of Clark’s own faculty, such as Willy Cushwa, have been experimenting with its use as an online classroom as well.  It seems to be a hit with his students.  Sally Keely has also remarked on the useful features of this specialty software and her ideas for increasing its usage beyond online office hours.  Although the video feature isn’t always recommended for bandwidth reasons, many of the other features seem to captivate and engage most users.  Generally, the moderator uses a mic or headset and the whiteboard area while the participants listen, observe, and use the chat area, responding to the moderator by typing or raising their “hands” to ask questions.  Though these sessions are conducted synchronously, Elluminate sessions can also be recorded and made available later.  For those students or participants with less technical experience, there is a five minute orientation available on the Elluminate website.

Elluminate is sophisticated, yet straightforward to use.  I encourage all faculty and administrators at Clark to go through the online moderator training and discover this new tool.  As a moderator with audio capabilities, a headset may be required, unless your computer is already equipped with a built-in mic and speakers – contact ITS (x2425) to purchase any necessary equipment.  The links below should help get you going…  After you complete the training, just contact me (scoffie at clark.edu) and I will set you up with your own meeting space or classroom where you may join the ranks of the Elluminati!

Check your computer for technical requirements

Five minute orientation for student participants or meeting attendees

For meeting or classroom moderator training, sign up for the two live training sessions using the link below.  The sessions are:

• “Getting Started with Elluminate Live for Moderators”
• “Next Steps with Elluminate Live for Moderators”

Sign up for free training and select a time you would like to attend

Once you are comfortable with the basics, you may be interested in some of the more robust features:

Additional documents and recordings for advanced training of moderators